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Tips for the perfect hobbies as a stay at home mom, and why you should start a hobby as a stay at home mom. You could even turn your hobby into an income.
I believe that having a hobby is a must when you’re a stay at home mom. Otherwise, you start to feel unfulfilled and lost.
Related: Why you Lose Yourself as a Mom and How to Find Yourself Again
You might be putting off doing a hobby because you don’t know where to start.
I know that’s where I was. I felt like
“what’s the point?”
“Am I just doing something to pass the time?”
“What do I even enjoy doing?”
I’ve been there, and if you’re feeling depressed, it might be even harder to start something.
But, when you put a purpose behind your hobby, it makes it more enjoyable and fulfilling.
Related: Finding Purpose as a Mom
Why Start a Hobby as a Stay at Home Mom
Brings Purpose and Meaning
Hobbies can bring joy, purpose, and meaning into your life.
I mean, cleaning the kitchen 10 times a day certainly creates purpose in my life for my family, but I don’t particularly enjoy it.
I love serving my family, but I also like doing things because I love them. (I’m not saying kids don’t bring purpose, but you know what I mean, something outside of being a mom).
There is just something about having your thing, exercising your talents, and defining your skills.
And I’m not talking about “I shower everyday” hobby.
I mean a true hobby that makes you set goals, and takes you in a particular direction. Maybe it’s toward a life long goal, or a dream you’ve always had. Or maybe it’s just something that brings you a ton of joy.
And I’m not talking about “good hygiene” joy. I’m talking the kind of joy that moves you to action, and lives you with a good feeling hours after doing it. (I’m not talking about “MJ” either!)
Supplemental Income
Chances are, you could turn your hobby into a money making machine. You might be able to find a way to make a supplemental income. And we all know (most) stay at home moms could use some of that!
Avoid Depression
It can be pretty easy to get depressed while staying at home. I know I did, like all the time.
But when I had something I looked forward to doing, or became my objective for the day (aside from taking care of kiddos), it made me happier.
Related: 10 Things to Avoid When You’re Feeling Depressed
Boredom
Bored sounds like such a harsh word to me.
I don’t think I would use it to describe a stay at home mom cause it makes it sound like we have time to be bored. But you really don’t. I wish for boredom some days. But it can get boring doing the same old stuff every day.
Fun
You should start a hobby because it’s fun.
Who doesn’t want more fun in their life?
It’s also nice for your kids to see you having fun, doing something you enjoy, and realize that mom has talents too!
Tips about Starting a Hobby as a Stay at Home Mom
Don’t force it
Don’t do something, just for the sake of doing something. Do something that makes you happy, something you enjoy.
Try doing something you’ve always wanted to do.
Start with a Vision Board
Have you ever made a vision board? You should.
It is one of my favorite things to do, and I’m a little obsessed with them. Here is how you make one. This can help you accomplish your goals and figure out what you can do and where to start!
More than one
Don’t feel like you have to stick to just one hobby. Do multiple!
I like to redo furniture, but I don’t have a ton of furniture or money to go and buy a bunch, but when I get the hankering, I redo something I have. I can’t do it all the time, but love doing it, so I try to do it when I can. I have other hobbies in the meantime.
I would even suggest having a hobby that you can do during the day with kids and then one you can do without them later outside the home.
Hobbies for Stay at Home Moms
So, these are hobbies I thought would be meaningful and worthwhile.
I’m sure there are several hobbies not listed here, but I didn’t want to include just the mundane, I’ll do it in 10 minutes, hobbies. But real hobbies that can be fun, become an income, or even help you develop a new skill.
I would do any one of these hobbies.
I broke the hobbies up into 3 sections: Hobbies you can do with kids, Hobbies you can turn into Money, and Hobbies to do all on your own!
Hobbies for the Stay at Home Mom to do With Kids Around
As a stay at home mom, you are around your kids the majority of the time, so finding a hobby that you can do with them around is a plus.
Gardening
Maybe you have a green thumb. I don’t.
I kill everything I’ve ever planted. My goal this year is to start a tomato plant. (Which is something that sounds really exciting to me, so if gardening excites you, do it!)
Learn a foreign language
I’ve always wanted to learn Spanish. My husband speaks it fluently, and I tell myself that one day I’ll learn it. I’ve heard that the Rosetta Stone lessons are really good, and that’s not just because they’re popular.
Bird Watching
Bird watching could be fun.
I used to think this sounded like the worst thing ever, but then a friend told me how she does it and how much she likes it and it sounded really cool.
Get a bird book or journal and record or take pictures of what you find. Try to find rare birds, or travel to different places to see different ones. There are so many people who are hardcore bird watchers.
Learn a new skill
Is there anything that you can’t do that you’ve always wanted to do? DO IT! What are you waiting for?
I have always wanted to ballroom dance. I’ve already talked my husband into taking lessons with me one day.
I’ve also always wanted to ride a horse or compete in an archery contest.
Genealogy
Look up and find your ancestors. You could start by doing 23 and me . My mom did it, and I kid you (ASK MOM).
There are tons of resources out there to find out who your ancestors are, and you could visit old graves, or maybe even relatives you never knew you had!
Start with these websites:
www.familysearch.org
www.ancestry.com
Make up and Fashion
I know very little about these 2 subjects.
I wish I did, but I don’t.
You could teach make up lessons, which is huge on YouTube right now.
You could also become a consultant for any makeup company, or clothes company.
Here are some websites to get you started: (I don’t know these companies closely, I have friends who have worked for each one of these companies and like it, but I have never personally worked for them. So make sure you do your research).
Mary Kay
Younique
Avon
LuLaRoe
Journaling
This could be a mundane hobby, or it can be an amazing hobby!
There are so many benefits to journaling and there are so many ways to journal. You can make it as in depth as you want it to be.
You can track just about anything, especially with bullet journaling.
Music
There are a lot of music opportunities out there.
Write music, sing, or play an instrument.
You could take an Online Music & Audio Class!
If you once sang or played band in high school, why not do it again?
There are community orchestras and singing groups. You could join one.
This is something you could practice at home with the kids.
DIY projects
I love DIY projects. Redo your kitchen table, or kids room. And if you’re on a budget, you can do it for pretty cheap.
Build a height ruler, make a gallery wall, or build a shelf.
Thrifting or Antiquing
I love going to thrift shops or antique stores and finding a steal on something that you just love. Or finding something that you know you will love after you DIY it.
Photography
Are you good with a camera? Or have a nice camera?
Take pictures and frame them, give them to people, or take pictures of other people. If you don’t know how, take a course to learn.
Here are some courses by Creative Live:
Outdoor Photography Techniques
There are several different courses by Creative Live worth looking into. Click the banner above for a free photography class!
This is a great way to make an income!
Paper Crafts
There are hundreds of thousands of paper crafts out there that you could do:
Scrap-booking
This is one of my favorite things to do. I used to make time for it, but have gotten behind. You could make scrapbooks for your kids, grandparents, parents, or even teach people how to do it.
Card Making
You could make a stock pile of cards to keep for any occasion. This is another great way to make a supplemental income by selling your cards online.
Jewelry
You could make jewelry, and sell it.
Sewing
My mom used to sew us dresses growing up. We would all have matching dressed for Easter. I loved them. You could sew your kids clothes, or yourself some clothes.
This is another great way to make money online. You could sell things you’ve sewn, teach people how to sew, or sell sewing patterns.
Vinyling
I’m pretty sure I made this word up, but I love vinyl just about anything. You could make home made signs, t-shirts, cups, mugs, bumper stickers, really anything!
I highly recommend the Silhouette to make all your vinyl projects. I have one, and absolutely love it!
I also recommend this store to buy all your vinyl. They are stationed in Texas, but will ship just about anywhere. They have the best, affordable vinyl with several designs to choose from.
Books
You could read books. This is a really great hobby to have while you’re at home with the kids because you can do it in 10 minutes, set it down, and come back to it later.
You could also listen to books. Audiobooks has more than 100,000 incredible audiobooks that will take you anywhere you want to go.
I like to have goals with reading books like setting a goal on Goodreads, trying different genre of books, or making a list of recommendations and trying to complete that list.
If you’re looking for some positive and motivational books, here is my list of favorites!
Puzzles
I love puzzles. You could challenge yourself by starting small and then going big by having more pieces or higher levels of difficulty.
I highly recommend getting a puzzle mat so you can put it away and the kids won’t ruin it. I love mine.
Writing
You could write. Write a book, blog, journal, or letters.
Baking/Cooking
Challenge yourself by baking and cooking different things from different countries. Get into meal planning and try eating healthier. Look for creative ways to eat healthy.
Bake goodies for fairs, neighbors and friends.
Fitness/Exercise
Make it a goal to exercise everyday. You could do Yoga or running. Here are some 10 minute exercises you can do as a mom, and here are some other ideas of how to exercise with kids.
Travel/Adventures
One year we had a goal to visit all the parks within a 10 mile radius of us. We didn’t get to them all, but I also wasn’t serious enough about that goal. But I think it would have been fun.
You could do the same with your kids. Make little adventures for them. Or for yourself. If you have the money, you could travel often.
Art
You could start painting, drawing, or designing. If you don’t know how, there are several classes that you could take to learn.
If you can design on the computer, you could sell your designs online.
Hobbies for the Stay at Home Mom that You Can Turn into an Income
So, you could probably turn a lot of the above hobbies into an income (as mentioned), but these are probably the more popular ones.
Blogging
You could start a blog. So many people have turned their blogs into full-time incomes, or even just supplemental incomes. It can be a lot of work, but totally worth it.
I highly recommend Build and Launch Your Blog in 4 Weeks course by Create and Go to help you get started on the right foot.
Etsy
I used to have a store on Etsy, and it was a lot of fun. I didn’t turn it into a full-time income, but I made some money here and there that wasn’t bad.
You can sell just about anything: art, signs, cards, t-shirts, stickers, stationary, your vinyl projects, your DIY projects, really anything.
I loved working with Etsy, here is some great advice on how to get started on Etsy today.
Tutor/Teach
You could teach online. My husband did VIP kid for a while, and made some decent money. It worked great for us at the time. It would be worth looking into, especially if you want to start making money fast.
Couponing
Couponing I guess technically isn’t a way to MAKE money, but it’s a big way to SAVE money. It is so much work. I once got something for like .39 cents that I would have spent $5.00 on because of coupons and I was ecstatic!
This is the best lady to help you with the job.
Couponing can be a full-time job.
Massage
You could go back to school and learn to do massage therapy. It’s a great way to make income, and set your own hours.
DIY Projects
Sell those DIY projects I mentioned above. You could sell some of these on Etsy or here’s a list of about 25 more options.
Photography
You could turn your photography hobby into a business or supplemental income.
Surveys
You could take surveys. There are a lot of websites to make money taking surveys.
Hobbies for the Stay at Home Mom to do all on Your Own
There are some hobbies that just require a babysitter. You could always, maybe, practice with the kids, but the hobby itself might require some undivided attention.
Shooting
You could learn how to shoot a gun and go to the shooting range, or learn how to shoot a bow and arrow.
Sports Team
Join a sports team through your local community recreation center, or with a program like the YMCA. They are a lot of fun and relatively inexpensive.
Dance
Take a dance class. Like I said, one day I will be doing a ballroom class.
Art-Painting
A lot of colleges do art classes, you could take one for a semester. You could also do Paint Night, which is really fun!
Take One of these Classes once a week or once a month
Self-Defense
Cake Decorating
Martial Arts
A great place to look for discounted classes is Groupon
Volunteer
You could volunteer at the food bank, homeless shelters, or hospitals.
Winter Sports
Start playing a Winter sport, especially if you live up north!
Skiing
Snowboarding
Ice Skating
Hockey
Summer Sports
Start a summer sport
Wake Boarding
Water Skiing
Boating
Swimming
Travel
If you have the money, you could take up traveling.
Outdoorsy
Become an outdoors women!
Rock climbing
Camping
Biking
Life is meant to be enjoyed so find something that you love and do it! 😉
